Public Lands & Waters Defense
Friends of the Earth's Public Lands campaign seeks to halt oil and gas exploitation of our public lands and put the U.S. on the path towards a just transition that protects workers and communities and ends our dependence on fossil fuels.
The extraction and burning of fossil fuels from public lands and waters account for nearly a quarter of U.S. climate emissions. At the very moment when we needed decisive action to protect our wild places and climate for future generations, the Trump Administration held a four year fire sale to turn as much of our public lands over to the oil and gas industry as possible.
But there is hope. President Joe Biden made bold campaign promises to halt new fossil fuel leasing on federal lands and waters, and to enact a suite of executive actions through the Department of Interior that would protect communities and the environment. Seven days into his term, Biden took an important first step by issuing a new Executive Order to pause oil and gas leasing and review the entire leasing program.
The pushback from Big Oil and oily members of Congress was swift and riddled with lies. We need your help to show there is strong support to stop the fossil fuel industry from pillaging our public lands and ensure President Biden makes good on his promise to prioritize people over corporate interests.
Green New Deal Archives Tell Congress to stop shelling out billions to Big Oil
Climate & Energy Justice Stop the Line 3 Pipeline
Legal Petition Calls On Biden to Phase Out Federal Oil, Gas by 2035 January 19, 2022
More than 360 climate, tribal, religious and conservation groups petitioned the Biden administration today to use its executive authority to phase out oil and gas production on public lands and oceans.
Greater Chaco Coalition Demands More Than Piece-Meal Protection in Response to 10-Mile Buffer January 10, 2022
The climate crisis illustrates that drawing new lines on a map doesn't address the problem – protecting our communities, our clean water and clean air cannot be done in one place, but must include all places.
In Amicus Brief, Congressmembers Lowenthal, Grijalva, Huffman Call on Federal Court to Strike Down Administration's 80 Million Acre Oil And Gas Lease Sale In U.S. Gulf December 8, 2021
The lawmakers filed the amicus brief in support of a lawsuit against the Biden administration's Interior Department by a group of environmental organizations.
Fighting Fossil Fuel Subsidies
Each year, the fossil fuel industry gets $15 billion from our government to keep itself afloat. We must stop these destructive subsidies.
Latest Blog Posts See All
Big Oil and Gas's Cheap Public Lands and Water Leases Shell Game November 16, 2021
President Biden is about to break his promise to end new lease sales in a big way, opening 80 million acres of the Gulf of Mexico to drilling
Undoing the damage Pruitt and Zinke did to our environment January 3, 2019
Scott Pruitt and Ryan Zinke seemingly handed the EPA and DOI over to corporate polluters. They debased these agencies and endangered public health. Americans are relying on the Democrats to stand up, stop these destructive actions and protect people and the planet.
Four ways for Democrats to root out Republican corruption November 6, 2018
Democrats in the House must hold administration officials accountable for their unethical and illegal actions. They should start with the Department of Interior and its Secretary Ryan Zinke, who is facing no less than 17 federal investigations.
Impact Stories See All
Protecting our Public Lands December 17, 2021
As we continue our fight in preventing oil & gas exploitation of our public lands, we thank our members for helping us right this wrong!
Stopping Fossil Fuel Drilling of Public Lands and Waters April 6, 2021
Along with nearly 600 other groups, we urged Biden to make good on his campaign promise and issue an executive order to halt new fossil fuel leasing as part of his climate agenda.
Together We Stopped Ryan Zinke December 20, 2018
Ryan Zinke has now followed in the footsteps of former Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt: leaving under the weight of his accumulating misdeeds.
Backing Interior Away from Steep National Park Fee Hike April 5, 2018
The idea of pricing millions of Americans out of visiting our beloved spaces is wholly un-American. Zinke's decision prioritizes the elite over the general public, and further undermines the challenges facing low-income families and individuals.
Keeping Our Lands Public July 30, 2017
Thanks to Friends of the Earth members voicing their opinions, three national monuments have been taken off the chopping block.
Resources See All
Letter to EXIM on Malaysia petrochemical project
Closing the Dirty Energy Gap
Department of Interior FOIA (August 16, 2018)